The Crucible (1967)

Set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692. After a clergyman (Henry Jones) catches a group of girls dancing naked including his own daughter (Kathleen Cody) and engaging in a pagan ritual, his daughter lies in a coma as the village is rife with rumors of witchcraft. Soon the hysteria spreads as neighbor accuses neighbor of witchcraft. Based on the play by Arthur Miller and directed by Alex Segal (RANSOM!). This adaptation of Miller's celebrated play is an allegory of the House Un-American Activities witch hunts that destroyed so many lives in the 1950s. It's a straightforward production of Miller's play with excellent performances with three standing out: George C. Scott as a man whose wife (Colleen Dewhurst) is accused of witchcraft by a vengeful girl (Tuesday Weld) after he ends their affair. It's an unsettling and disturbing production to sit through since it has its basis in historical fact. That human beings could do this to their fellow man is shocking and some 300 years later, it's still difficult to comprehend the intentional evil. With Melvyn Douglas, Fritz Weaver, Catherine Burns, Cathleen Nesbitt and Will Geer.